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Maw Book’s Wonderful Endeavor
Natasha at Maw Books Blog has devoted the entire month of September to helping those in need in Darfur by raising awareness and money. She will be donating her own money based upon the support shown in and out of the blogging world. There is also the opportunity for each of us to make a pledge based on the number of pages she reads and the number of posts she publishes next month. Won’t you please visit here to learn more about how you can participate?
I will donate 10 cents for each person who comments on Maw Books announcement saying that I sent you her way.
Let’s really turn reading into power in September.
#97 No One Belongs Here More Than You
No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories
When I first started exploring other book blogs and reading related e-newsletters, Miranda July’s collection of short stories kept popping up. The author and her collection of short stories sounded intriguing to me, but for whatever reason it wasn’t something I thought about when I went to order books. I joined Audible this spring and I was delighted to see that they offered this book and that it was read by the author. Since she’s a performance artist, I knew that this was the way to go with this book and used a credit on it immediately. In the end, I was happy that I picked this up during my introductory period and didn’t pay full price for the credit I spent on it.
No One Belongs Here More Than You is a collection of stories, in most cases not much more than character sketches, about people who are socially awkward and who just don’t seem to fit in with their surroundings. They are desperate and candidates for therapy at best and institutionalization at worst. There were moments where I really loved her writing, but I never once cared about a single narrator. If anything, I was concerned for the safety of those who were unwittingly apart of their lives.
After about the fifth story they all started to blend together and I lost interest. Miranda July’s reading didn’t help. While I cannot say that she read in a monotone voice, there is something about its quality and the lack of emotion that added to my disinterest. While listening, I often wonder if I would have enjoyed this more if it were read by another person or if I read it myself. It’s possible that those factors may have elevated my opinion somewhat, but I doubt it would have been enough for me to recommend it as a whole. Quite frankly, this territory is better covered by Patrick McGrath.
Here is a sample reading by Miranda July provided on her website. If you are interested, the stories “The Man on the Stairs” and “Birthmark” stood out to me. Rent the book from the library and read those stories. Otherwise, I’d just pass.
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To buy this book, click here
My First Guest Post Has Been Published!
I was asked to take part in the The Friendly Book Nook’s “Saturday at the Nook” series and I was so thrilled. I was asked to write about one of my early reading experiences and it is up today. Please head over there and check it out! If you love Stephen King, I’m sure you can relate. I would love to read your feedback.
Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Stay out of the heat and read a good book, you hear? 
Oh Dear, It’s THAT Time of Year
As excited as I am about attending the National Book Festival in less than a month, fall is not the best time of year for me. It seems like it kicks in earlier and earlier each year, but with the shortened days come darker moods and quicker overreactions. I think that I’ve probably been this way most of my life. It became extremely noticeable beginning the Labor Day weekend that Steve Irwin died. I first started noticing it a couple of weeks ago. The official name for this is Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD. Just great. Whoever came up with that name ought to be shot.
As much as I love a long weekend, this holiday is my least favorite. It signals that it’s time for me to do the exact opposite of what I feel like doing (hibernate) and sit under my natural light lamp each day and make sure to get outside while there is sunlight and get some fresh air.
I’m trying to look at this very positively and use this time for some self improvement.
First of all, having to sit under my Ott Light for a half hour gives me the perfect planned excuse time to read. 
Second, getting exercise is not only good for your waist-line (or finding it), it’s a natural mood enhancer, and I don’t do enough of it. With fall will come less humidity and cooler temperatures. No more excuses to avoid moving. To help provide more incentive to get outside walking, I’m looking for an MP3 player with more space than my current 1 Gig Sansa (with 2 Gig chip). I want to load my audio books on it so I can get even more reading time in to my day.
Thirdly, The Biggest Loser family edition starts on September 16 and I’m going to try to get a mini TBL going with my mother and sisters. We are now pretty spread out (Virginia, Southern Indiana, Chicago, and Grand Rapids), so this will give us something to bond over, even if it is slightly competitive. To my beloved sisters out there: if you’re reading this, I’ll be giving you a call very soon…
Finally, I’m going to make it a priority to get rid of the stuff that’s hanging around the house weighing me down. My babies aren’t babies anymore, so there’s no reason to hold on to the strollers, baby swing, baby slides, bottles, crib, toddler beds, clothes, shoes, etc… I also have over 350 books that I’ve had on sale on half.com for over a year. They’re taking up valuable shelf space. Those books that I’ll never conceivably read will be put on sale. If I really get organized, I might put them up for grabs here. Please don’t hold your breath, though.
Do you have any plans for your fall?
Meet Me in D.C.
As my regular readers are well aware, I’m a Philippa Gregory fanatic. To this day, two of my three most viewed posts by far are about reading her Tudor series in chronological order and my thoughts about Anne Boleyn’s rape scene in the film adaptation of The Other Boleyn Girl. When I received her newsletter recently, I read it word for word. When I read that her tour dates for The Other Queen were set on her website, I went there immediately knowing full well that she most likely wouldn’t be coming any where near my little hamlet in Southwest Virginia.
It was like Christmas morning when I discovered that she will be taking part in the 2008 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, September 27. D.C. is still five hours away. With gas prices the way they are, my joy started to dim until I noticed all of the other authors who will be there: Neil Gaiman, Salmon Rushdie, Geraldine Brooks, and Marisa de los Santos just to name a few. It’s sounds like such a wonderful event and I’m sad that I’ve not heard about it before this year. I hope that this is one thing that will continue on after President Bush leaves office.
I have asked my husband to take me there and he agreed so long as our yard sale isn’t held that weekend. Uh, it most definitely won’t! I’m not sure what we’ll do as far as driving there. Neil Gaiman is appearing in the Teens & Children Pavilion at 11:45. We’d have to leave pretty early in the morning to get there in time for that. We may drive to Alexandria and get a hotel the night before and then take the train into the city. Is there anyone else out there who is planning on attending? Let’s make plans to get together! It’s going to be a great day!
#96 Melmoth the Wanderer
Melmoth the Wanderer
Earlier this year Devourer of Books posted about the Penguin Books giveaway and I quickly joined for my chance to get a free book. When I found out that the Penguin Classic book assigned to me was Melmoth the Wanderer, I had flashbacks to Junior Year Honors English taught by Sister Irene Mary. Our final project for that class was a 20 to 25 page term paper. Sister gave us options as to what that paper would be about: architecture, art, or literature. I chose literature. Once that decision was made, Sister selected the book for us. There were only three of us who chose literature. The day that the assignments were handed out, three brand new books were proped up on the chalk board: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, My Antonia by Willa Cather, and Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery. I was the one singled out to readVanity Fair. Even in high school I enjoyed a reading challenge. Still, my heart sunk when I noticed that my book was twice as thick as My Antonia.
Melmouth the Wanderer tells the story of Jonathon Melmoth, a man who comes into his uncle’s estate upon that miserly man’s death. Before he died, his uncle asked him to destory the portrait in his private room along with the papers in the drawer. After Johnathon believes that he sees someone in the house when his uncle dies, he cannot resist the tempation of reading those papers, which end up telling the story of the Melmoth family. Thus begins his trek toward selling his soul.
The tone, themes and narrative methods are classically gothic. Everything is dark and foreboding. From the moment you enter into Melmoth’s manner, you sense that you better watch over your shoulder. The history of the Spanish sailor who rescues Johnathon from the cliff sweeps you away into the world of forced vocations to a Jesuit convent and his multiple attempts at escape despite the cost to his safety and sanity. What made this novel difficult to read was the narrative style. Whereas it is typical for a paragraph to start with each new speaker, Maturin included the dialog of two or more characters within the same paragraph. Without a careful and close reading, it because quite easy to get lost. There also were times where the level of detail was oppressive, much like being in a one-sided conversation with someone who makes sure to cover every minute detail. There were sections of the novel, often where single paragraphs went on for three plus pages, where I found myself getting impatient a needless wade into the quagmire.
In the end, I did not complete this novel. When I realized I was 255 into the novel and I was just getting to the point in the Spanish sailor’s story where he was finally brought before the Inquisition, I couldn’t continue. It wasn’t because the basic plot wasn’t enjoyable. It was actually. However, the style in which this story was written and the number of references made by the author within the text made reading this novel feel like climbing Mt. Everest without any preparation or supplies. It was frustrating not having the source material to read along with it.
This novel would be best read in a classroom setting or by someone who was willing to devote weeks of time, energy and study to it. I wouldn’t have been able to read and enjoy Ulysses without the guidance and encouragement of a wonderful professor. I’m in no way comparing Charles Robert Maturin to James Joyce. There was no poetry in Maturin’s prose, but I would imagine that there could be an engaging course taught about Melmoth the Wanderer.
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To buy this book, click here
Show Me the Love
In case you haven’t already heard, the week of September 15 is Book Blogger Appreciation week. As part of the festivities, there will be some wonderful book blogging awards. I really could use a good excuse to buy an evening gown, so I would really appreciate being nominated for any of the awards you might see fit (but I’d be super excited to receive a nomination for Best General Book Blog – no pressure ). Even if you don’t vote for me, there are so many wonderful book blogs out there not to vote. Didn’t your mother teach you that it’s your civic duty to vote?
Here are the details from My Friend Amy:
It’s time to open nominations for Book Blogger Appreciation Week Awards 2008!
Listed below are the categories of awards. There are many. You may not have a nomination for each award. It doesn’t matter. Nominate up to two blogs per category and send an email to BbawawardsATgmailDOTcom with your choices. You DO NOT have to have a blog to make nominations. Comments left on this post will NOT be accepted as nominations. Each category will be narrowed to the top five blogs by number of nominations received, so don’t be shy!!! Support your favorite blogs and bloggers! Nominations will close on August 31st.
And the categories for the Book Blogger Appreciation Week Awards 2008 are:
Best General Book Blog
Best Kidlit Blog
Best Christian/Inspirational Fiction Blog
Best Literary Fiction Blog
Best Book Club Blog
Best Romance Blog
Best Thrillers/Mystery/Suspense Blog
Best Non-fiction Blog
Best Young Adult Lit Blog
Best Book/Publishing Industry Blog
Best Challenge Host
Best Community Builder
Best Cookbook Blog
Best History/Historical Fiction Blog
Best Design
Most Chatty
Most Concise
Most Eclectic Taste
Best Name for a Blog
Best Published Author Blog
Best Book published in 2008
Best Meme/Carnival/Event
Most Extravagant Giveaways
Best Book Community site
Write In–think we missed something? Write in your category and nomination and if there are enough other write-ins of the same category it will be added!
Yours for the Taking
I have a copy of the following books that I would be interested in reading, but I just don’t have the time. I’m hoping to find others who can read and review them. Every book deserves a good home. If you click on the cover, it will take you to the book on Amazon.com so you can read more about it.
Making War to Keep Peace: Trials and Errors in American Foreign Policy from Kuwait to Baghdad by Jeane Kirkpatrick available.
Fiscal Pear & Shimmer in The Call of River Whale by Olivia Brooks-Scrivanich
These books are available to anyone would would like to read and review them on a first comment, first served basis. If you have a blog, please let me know when your review is available and I’ll link to your review here. If you don’t have a blog, I would be delighted to post your review. Please leave a comment below and I’ll contact you for your mailing address.
Tuesday Thingers LT Authors
Today’s topic: LibraryThing authors. Who are your LibraryThing authors? What books of theirs do you have? Do you ever comment on an author’s LT page? Have you received any comments from an author on your LT account?
My LT authors are Olivia Brooks-Scrivanich (author of Fiscal Pear and Shimmer in the Call of River Whale), Libby Cone (author of War on the Margins), Sandra Gulland (author of the Josephine B Trilogy), Karen Harrington (author of Janeology – which just arrived in the mail today!!!!), Emmett James (author of Admit One), Phyllis Zimbler Miller (author of Mrs. Lieutenant), Penelope Przekop (author of Aberrations), and Caroline Comfort Shields (author of Surviving Ben’s Suicide).
I have had the great fortune to getting to know Karen Harrington through LT. We’ve both commented on each other’s pages. I’ve also been contacted by authors based upon my reviews. For example, after posting my review of The Witch’s Trinity, Erika Mailman sent me an email and we’ve talked for some time. I also have had some wonderful email contact with Lauren Groff, author of The Monsters of Templeton.
I’ve only met one author in person, Lander Marks. She is the author of Artist’s Proof. When I was in Las Vegas on a business trip, she took me out to lunch. The whole experience was fabulous. I’m hoping to meet Philippa Gregory in person in September, but more on that in a later post.
How about you? With the exception of my experiences with the authors of a certain book, all of my interactions have been positive. I’d like to hear about yours.
Inside the Reader’s Studio Meme
Rebecca at The Book Lady’s Blog tagged me with this meme and I’m so excited about it. I’ve often wanted to be asked about my favorite swear word and now’s my chance to answer that question. Yee Ha! In addition to checking out her answers to this meme, she’s also holding a great giveaway. Click here to find out more about winning an ARC of The Gone Away World. If I don’t win it, I sure hope that you do.
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In the spirit of continuing my “getting to know you” theme from last week, I thought I’d borrow this questionnaire from my good buddy James Lipton (love him!) at Inside the Actors Studio and try to get a fun little meme started at the same time. So, I’ll answer the questions and then tag three of my blogging buddies, who will then tag three more, and well…you see how it goes.
What is your favorite word? I like a lot of words, but I think I’ll go with malfeasance. I’ve loved it ever since I first watched Fargo.
What is your least favorite word? c*nt. It is always distracting to me and makes me tense. For example, I could hardly watch Sexy Beast because of Ben Kingsley’s character’s frequent use of that word. This is the verbal equivalent to torture in movies.
What turns you on (creatively, spiritually or emotionally)? laughter, a twinkle in the eye, great music, books, and films
What turns you off (creatively, spiritually or emotionally)? burping words
What sound or noise do you love? Danny’s voice, Allison’s laughter, Emma’s singing,Trista singing, the opening chords to “Where the Streets have No Name,” the chorus to “Fire Woman” by The Cult, rain, birds in the morning
What sound or noise do you hate? burping words, the sound of people eating, jaw popping, snoring, loud breathing, Ted Levine’s voice (Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs)
What is your favorite curse word? Without any competition, it’s motherf**ker. Ever since I heard Samuel L. Jackson’s character in Pulp Fiction say, “I’m a bad@ss motherf**ker, motherf**ker” I’ve been hooked. It’s also uttered over and over again in the song “Die Motherf**ker, Die” by the Geto Boys during the scene where they are kicking the springs out of the printer in Office Space. Perfect, just perfect.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I’d love to be a librarian, archaeologist, or an author.
What profession would you not like to do? Pretty much any job featured on The Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs. I love the show, couldn’t take any of the jobs. I’m just glad that there are those who will.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? After hearing the Edge playing the opening to “Where the Streets Have No Name,” which is how I’ll know I made it to heaven instead of the other option, I hope to hear God say, “Before you do anything else, you must read all those books you’ve left unread.”
I tag Katherine at A Girl Walks into a Bookstore, Adam at Letters on Pages, and Matt at A Guy’s Moleskine Notebook. Please tag three more and link back here so I can follow it along.
Book Blogger Con
Have you heard about the 1st Annual Book Blogger Convention that will be held in NYC during the BEA? You should check it out. I know it will be a fantastic experience. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend due to family obligations, but I'll be trolling blogs for up to the minute news.
WE Magazine’s A Woman Blogger to Watch
Literate Challenges
What's in a Name? 3
Random Reading Challenge
